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Month: December 2013

Thank you to the South Florida brokers who joined us at our annual broker appreciation holiday party at The Forge Restaurant in Miami. It was a pleasure working with you this year. Wishing you Happy Holidays and much success in the New Year!

Peter RomeroT&M Senior Property ManagerWaterford at Blue Lagoon – MiamiHighlighting my portfolio of properties to stand out among the rest of the many competing buildings in the market has always been a driving force. Strange as it sounds, it helps that I also love the art of movies, and had wanted to be a film director while in high school. So one night in bed, while I was reading the now defunct The Daily (Apple’s first electronic-only daily newspaper), I came across an article that gave me an idea of a cool, though not entirely original concept, of making the buildings we are trying to lease more interesting to existing tenants while enticing prospect tenants – as they are given the usual tour of the building.

The article was actually a short film called Within Two Worlds by artist Brad Goldpaint. The film was magical to me – the most beautifully photographed time-lapse images of the planet, set to an original score. The piece was a result of the artist trekking the Pacific Northwest for 6 months as a way to relieve the stress from the loss of his mother. Goldpaint was an established architect, but uncluttered nighttime skies, a grieving memory and a film camera made way for a touching work of art – a far cry from those esoteric art pieces audiences struggle to understand.

So I thought – I want it! I want to show that movie in my buildings! I was betting myself that this would be an accessible artist whose license rights would be attainable for a modest price. I soon laid the bones to provide for a good viewing experience – a must to any cinephile. A flush mounted high definition projector – check. A BluRay player – check. Flush mounted quality speakers – check. A mixer – check. All these were installed at each of the three Atrium Buildings within Waterford at Blue Lagoon Office Park. The projection wall being a main wall directly opposite the elevators. Here, the work would be enjoyed by everyone – you could not miss it. Next, I secured the film rights from the artist for unlimited public viewings. It’s interesting that his film is catching on. It’s been about a year that I purchased the film rights, and just a few weeks ago, Oprah Winfrey highlighted the artist and his film.

A photo can’t do it justice!
Video Installation at 6505 Waterford

I still get people telling me how cool the ‘thing” looks in the buildings; central to the conceit of the idea – to get noticed and remembered effectively. It’s not too often you’d walk into “any building USA” and have a real artful and memorable experience. Cool.

Performance improvement company, Grass Roots America is relocating to One Biscayne Tower in downtown Miami from offices in South Beach. The firm leased 11,000 square feet in a 10 year, $4 million deal at the downtown office tower.

Grass Roots America is part of a trend for companies upgrading their office space and/or location. “Downtown has a buzz to it right now,” said Andrew Trench, Taylor & Mathis Leasing Director, who brokered the transaction. “Companies are attracted to the artsy feel of the district with the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts and the Miami Art Museum sites nearby. Grass Roots wanted the live, work, play environment of One Biscayne Tower for their new offices which will have a modern and cool, funky vibe.” The building’s large, efficient floor plates were also a selling point. The deal was co-broker by Keith Darby of Rise Realty.

Founded in 1980, Grass Roots is an international performance improvement company. With 27 offices in 17 countries, Grass Roots partners with companies to reward, incentivize, and inspire the people with whom they work. They provide clients with guidance on with reward selection, customer service, local legislation and tax, fulfillment, business practices and culture. Grass Roots currently services more than 60 percent of the top 100 global brands, and counts among its customers BMW, VMware, Barclays Bank, Maxim and Halliburton. For more information, visit www.grassrootsamerica.com

Grass Roots America is the sixth significant deal at One Biscayne Tower in recent months several of which were law firms. One Biscayne Tower has the largest percentage of law firms in downtown and has seen a surge of leasing this year due to its proximity to the courthouse and other government offices as well as the building’s efficient floor plates and spectacular views. Taylor & Mathis has secured over 74,000 square feet of leasing at the 700,000 square foot Class A office tower this year. Leases have included Sedgwick LLP (15,000 square feet), Veritext Legal Solutions (12,000 square feet), Northwestern Mutual (10,066 square feet), Peretz Chesal Herrman (6,200 square feet), Young, Bill, Roumbos & Boles, P.A. (5,000 square feet) and the 15,000 square foot renewal and expansion of Foreman Friedman. The office building which offers incredible views of Biscayne Bay is one of downtown Miami’s best values for office space. For more information, visit http://www.onebiscaynetower.com

Taylor & Mathis and AEW welcomed South Florida Brokers to a lunch at 355 Alhambra where they debuted a broker incentive program and the recently completed building renovations. The broker who signs the largest new tenant lease with a minimum of 10,000 RSF between January and June of 2014 will win a 7 day Western Mediterranean Cruise!